pairing: rafayel qi x nonmc (oc) / sylus x nonmc (oc) [if you squint]
content: differentiation of canon, ocean caves/trenches, sea monster, magic/witchcraft, mc mention, rafayel doesn’t care for mc fr, no beta read! if it’s badly written then so be it.
synopsis: prince rafayel and his historian spend some long awaited quality time with eachother, their adventure in a cave turns south once its owner returns
a/n: a little glimpse of jewel’s myth, and i thought it paired well with this month since it is mermay!
In the depths of Lemuria, two of its civilians are swimming through a trench, a trench where the algae was uneaten, debris of surface items were scattered across the rocks, and the atmosphere grew colder as they swam deeper.
Prince Rafayel, eager to steal his royal historian from her duties, brought her to explore this unknown area. A routine the two shared since they were young.
“My prince, don’t you think we’re getting too old for these ventures? I don’t think your schedule permits you to leave your duties.” Jewel raised her voice in concern, she was slightly behind Rafayel, trying her best to match his speed.
Rafayel scoffed, “I can assure you I have the time, I made sure of it.”
To him, it felt like it’s been years since they’ve spent alone time together. As they aged, piles of responsibilities were added to both of their plates, making the prince miss how simple their lives were until now.
Then, things grew even more complicated once his betrothed appeared. Such pomp and circumstance from the kingdom created a small rift between the two. Jewel being the one to pull away, while Rafayel desperately tried to close the slowly growing gap.
And the character his betrothed was made it impossible for him to be separated from her. Aiming to please him, keep him happy, anything to garner his full attention. Rafayel grew tired to it, but he took her desperation and used it to his advantage.
He assigned his afternoon duties to her, they were nothing major, just simple little remedial tasks to keep her busy. That’ll keep her busy for a few hours, and he knows it’ll get done.
Of course, he didn't tell any of this to Jewel.
Their venture led them to a tunnel that was on the side of the many rock walls surrounding them. He flashed Jewel an excited look before entering. Jewel unfortunately had to follow suit.
The tunnel seemed to stretch longer and longer as they continued to swim through it. Jewel noticed there were several markings on the stony walls, making her grow uneasy.
“My prince, we’re in too deep, we must turn back.”
This halted Rafayel, letting Jewel catch up to him, the two now floating side by side.
“You’re such a scaredy fish.” He took Jewel’s hand in his, “Do you not trust your prince to protect you from harm?”
Jewel looked at her hand which was now entwined with his, Rafayel gave her a gentle squeeze, she reciprocated it. “I trust you, even though I believe it’s me that’s supposed to protect you.”
“How will you protect me? With your books?”
“I learn many things from my books.” Jewel retorted.
The two, hand in hand, continue their journey. Their conversation shifted from mindless chatter to the two sharing new things about themselves and what they’ve been doing as of late.
A warm sensation began to rise in Jewel’s chest as she listened carefully to Rafayel speak. She wouldn’t utter the words, but she certainly missed having these moments with Rafayel. Their little own bubble.
It popped once his destiny revealed herself.
Jewel knew things would change between them. That their dynamic will take a sharp turn.
The Tome of the Sea God, told her Rafayel's destiny and her inevitable fate. Her silly daydreams of her and Rafayel coming to an abrupt halt. She learned the harsh reality that Rafayel would never be truly hers. The amount of self prep couldn’t have prepared her for the overwhelming amount of grief she felt. For her sanity, she had to pull away from him. The idea of Rafayel with his betrothed already makes her nauseous, she couldn't bear to be near them.
‘I can’t get caught up in my fantasies again.’ Jewel thought to herself as she let out a shaky exhale.
“Are you okay?” Rafayel quickly asked, noticing a shift from Jewel.
“Yes, my prince. I was just—” Jewel looked ahead, in the distance a light finally appeared. They’ve finally reached an exit. “I was excited to light ahead!” She pointed ahead, releasing her hand from his.
She started to swim a bit faster, Rafayel picked up his pace.
Through the tunnel, they were in a new area, looking up it they saw blurry images of what they assumed were stalactites.
Swimming to the surface, the two appeared to find themselves in a cave. A cave covered in marks, wilted flora, and a ledge that led to an opening to go deeper into the cave. There wasn’t that much room to swim, they would need to travel by foot to discover more.
“Well I guess we can’t go further.” Rafayel commented, about to dip his head back in the water.
“Wait, I want to try something. I believe it can help me see more ground.” Jewel swam towards the ledge, she placed her hands onto the rocky floor and lifted herself from the water, gently resting on the rocky floor.
“What happened to, oh my prince we must head back!” Rafayel mimicked Jewel, she splashed water at him with her tail, gaining a few chuckles from the prince.
She huffed, “Well that was before seeing this cave. I indulge in your endeavors, so it’s my turn.”
Jewel scanned the area, there were many glass bottles, books and bones scattered across the ground. “Someone lives here...they don’t keep their area tidy that’s for sure.”
Rafayel swam to where Jewel was, choosing to stay in the water.
Jewel dragged her tail out of the water, and placed her hands on top of it. Closing her eyes she chanted a spell. Her tail began to grow and slowly turn into human legs, a sheer skirt manifesting to cover her lower half. Rafayel was astonished at the sight.
“You didn’t tell me you learned magic?!”
“I told you I learn a lot of things from my books.”
“You failed to mention you learned magic.” He muttered.
With her new legs and feet, she cautiously got up, trying her best to not lose balance. ”I found a hidden book of spells and chants from other civilizations in my nook! Since it was a new book, I read all the contents in it. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was a spell book.” She said looking at a pouty Rafayel.
“You silverfish...Don’t get mad at me when I keep secrets from you.” He crossed his arms.
“What secrets do you have that you haven’t already shared with me?”Jewel said as she waddled away from Rafayel, beginning to look around the area, examining the discarded bottles and books closely.
Each time she found something new, she presented it to Rafayel, her eyes filled with wonder as she lectured about what the item was. Rafayel didn’t understand it fully, but he was amused at her excitement. And who was he to ruin her fun?
After the tenth time walking to the littered area, she came across a pile of books. The books had letters she couldn’t recognize. She gasped, “Witchcraft.” Picking up a book, she waddled back to Rafayel.
“The person who lives here must be a sea witch!” Jewel exclaimed.
“A sea witch practices the art of witchcraft, or well magic, but sea witches draw power from the ocean, tides, or any resource the ocean can provide.”
“You sound too excited right now, isn’t being in the witch's lair a bad thing?” Rafayel tilted his head.
Jewel paused. “Yes it is. But I’m going to be selfish and request that we stay for a few more minutes. I need to see if they have something called a scryglass, I read in one of the books about it, and I–”
Rafayel splashed water onto her feet, “Don’t overexplain, just go.” He smiled, tilting his head. “I’ll keep guard out here.”
“Thank you, Rafayel!” Jewel smiled at the prince before clumsily running towards the opening in the back of the cave.
He rested her arms on the ledge, his head resting on his own hand. ‘The joy in her eyes when she’s excited about something.’ He sighed. A look he hasn’t seen in forever. What motivated him to constantly bring Jewel on his exertions, to see that look. Having a front row seat in all the hidden thoughts and emotions that are harbored inside her comes to light. He closed his eyes, replaying Jewel's smile mentally.
As Rafayel got lost in his thoughts, underneath the water, a black tentacle grabbed Rafayel’s tail, quickly pulling him back. Catching the prince off guard, he couldn’t grab the ledge in time. As Rafayel was about to shout for Jewel, another tentacle shot out and covered his mouth, pulling him into the water.
Meanwhile, Jewel cautiously walked through the opening. She found herself in a room, the heart of the lair. More marking littered the walls, there were bottles with various liquids inside of them, more books, and –
A bright medium sized sphere was floating in the center of the room. The low humming emitting from it made Jewel walk closer to it. Circling around the sphere a few times, she stopped to hold her hand out to it, her other hand still holding onto the book she acquired. As her hands moved the mist inside followed, “This is so fascinating.” Jewel exclaimed, mesmerized by the orb.
If she had more time she’d attempt to figure it out, but Rafayel was right, they needed to leave. Jewel had a feeling they were starting to overstay their welcome. Leaving the room, heading back to the rocky platform, she was greeted with silence. Immediately she noticed the lack of Rafayel’s presence. She felt her heart drop.
“Your highness?” She called out, clutching her book even harder. “Rafayel?!” She raised her voice. “If this is a joke, it’s not funny!”
Rushing to the ledge, she sat back down, placing the book next to her. Moving her hands on her legs and closed her eyes. She was about to chant a reverse spell but the sound of bubbles caught her attention. Jewel opened her eyes to see bubbles beneath her. Her face relaxed, “Haha very funny. You can come out now. I was just about to get rid of these legs so we can swim back.”
Purple hair and pink eyes peeked out of the water. Rafayel looked angry, causing her eyebrows to pull together in a tight pinch, “Are you that mad that your joke didn’t work? Out of all your pranks, this one was certainly low effort.”
Rafayel rose from the water, revealing the black tentacle around his mouth, his yelling muffled from it. Slowly more of his body was revealed, more tentacles were shown wrapped around him. He was wriggling in his hold.
Another body emerging from the water, a man with long white hair, black tentacles attached to him, and crimson eyes that were deadly. His body tattered with black markings that lead to a ruby in the center of his chest. His face was unamused, yet his stare – intense. Jewel locked eyes with him, a small smirk grew on his face.
Jewel was speechless at the sight. ‘The sea witch.’ She thought as she slowly scooted away from the witch. A lump in her throat began to form.
“Is this yours?” His voice was deep, she stopped in her tracks. The tentacles raised Rafayel higher in the air, Jewel darted her eyes to her prince. His movements grew erratic, struggling to break free from the tentacles that were wrapped too tight around him.
“I asked you a question, now answer.” Jewel brought her eyes back to the white haired man.
Letting out a shaky breath, Jewel nodded her head, “Yes.” The fear she held was present in her voice, “My apologies for invading your space.”
The man said nothing as his eyes traveled up and down her body.
Jewel swallowed her lump, "We swam here by accident, we were just leaving."
“Leave?” He chuckled, “I’ve been so lonely and the moment I get company, they want to leave when I arrive.”
A tentacle found itself on her right leg, wrapping around her ankle, as it started to pull her closer to him. She tried her best to get out of his grasp, however this human form of hers makes her weaker, making resistance futile.
Crimson eyes traveled from Jewel to the book that laid beside her. “And you took a present. Seems unfair that I haven’t received one from my visitors.”
“What do you want?” She said, almost instantly, feeling a sense of dread arise.
“Hmmm…” The man simultaneously brought Rafayel and Jewel closer to him. “Do I want the Lemurian prince? Or his personal servant?”
The witches comment made Rafayel thrash his body even more, the marks on his face beginning to glow. Jewel felt her stomach drop as, frozen in fear as she watched Rafayel struggle to get out of his hold.
The feeling of a slimy tentacle crawling up her leg, slowly brought her back to reality. ‘Think Jewel… think quickly.’ She chanted repeatedly in her head. If Rafayel couldn't help them, then she needed to do something... and it needed to be quick.
Her heart thumping, she looked around to see if there was anything that could help them get out of this situation.
Jewel closed her eyes and clutched her book, trying to conjure any ideas. Her foot was almost at the end of the platform. As she felt her book, a revelation happened, ‘I can use a spell!’ She thought as she reopened her eyes.
Looking at the witch, his attention was on Rafayel, trying to maintain his hold. The perfect set up—
“Hey!” Jewel shouted to get his attention, making eye contact with the large creature, she stuck out her hand with her palm to him, “Lumos!” A flash of light shot out making him groan, his eyes were shut tight, making him lose balance.
His lack of balance released his grip on both Jewel and Rafayel. As Rafayel plunged into the water, Jewel stumbled back, slamming her head on the floor, stunning her a bit.
Fighting through her pain, she held her head as she sat back up, her vision blurry. Keeping her hands on the floor, she slowly crawled towards the ledge, desperately trying to find any sign of Rafayel.
Rafayel, returning to the surface, shouted for Jewel, his voice causing the cave to quake. She scrambled towards him, her hands on the edge, “I need my tail… I need to say the spell…”
Rafayel looked over to the white haired monster who seemed to be gaining his bearings back. “We have no time! Just hold onto me!”
Jewel slid into the water, Rafayel immediately wrapped his arms around her and dove into the sea. A loud roar was heard as Rafayel swam away. Away from the witch, away from the cave, and away from the trench. Jewel kept her eyes closed, feeling the rush of water grazing her face, her back could feel Rafayel’s heart. The way it was hitting her back, this was the first time she’s seen, no— feel, how scared Rafayel was.
Back at the palace, the two retreated to Jewel’s personal quarters.
Hours have passed since their trip from the trenches.
The prince and his historian were laying on her bed, Jewel was back in her Lemurian form. Gently stroking his hair while Rafayel kept his eyes closed, enjoying her touch.
“I see something occupying your thoughts, would your highness care to share them?”
She could hear Rafayel exhale through his nose, sitting up and turning his body to face Jewel. He placed his hand on her face. His face was unreadable.
A light blush appeared on Jewel’s cheeks as she stared at him. “Rafayel?”
“You could feel how scared I was.” He stated.
Jewel nodded her head, “I could.”
The two stared at each other. Rafayel's hands fell from her face, while his eyes were drowning with conflicting thoughts, his glare grew intense. Keeping contact with him, Jewel placed her hand on top of his, “Rafayel… it’s okay. We’re okay—”
“If you didn’t use your magic, we weren’t going to be okay.” His voice stern, “I was defenseless, leaving you to figure out how to save us.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, regulating himself. “It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.”
Rafayel rolled his eyes,“We don’t spend time together outside of these walls, Jewel. We don’t meet at our spot, we don’t go on adventures, we don’t—” He cut himself off, "And the one time I try to simulate old times, something catastrophic happens."
“That wasn't your fault Rafayel. How could you have known someone resided in the trench?" She stroked his hand with her thumb. "It's sweet you want to relive old times, but we’re no longer kids, Rafayel. We don’t have all the time in the world for each other. On top of that, you are bound to—”
Rafayel gripped her hand, almost stopping her from finishing the sentence. Jewel remained silent as she watched Rafayel’s inner turmoil through his eyes.
His eyes said so much that his mouth refused to say.
“Jewel…” He uttered, before pausing, his eyes moving back and forth between hers. Searching for something within her eyes. “Do you think of our childhood? Are you fond of it?”
Jewel sensed that this wasn’t what he wanted to ask, seeing how he squinted and shifted his eyes as the question hesitantly fell out of his mouth.
She took a moment to think, making sure her answer could satisfy whatever underlying question he had.
“I do. I think about it often, I was blessed that lady fate brought us together. Even if we are absent in our own varying schedules, I know you are always with me. My fondness will never fade.” Jewel said, sincerely.
Rafayel searched Jewel’s face, his eyes clashing with her soft gaze. Taking in her answer and her look, he felt his tension leaving his body. He understood her message.
A small smile was on his face as he shifted his body to lay down on Jewel once again. The two were silent once more, Rafayel guided her fingers through his hair, making Jewel go back to stroking his soft purple locs.
“I will say despite us confronting the sea witch, I had a fun time exploring the cave. I think you should steal me away again, or I guess I have to steal you away this time.” She chuckled, the prince joining her.
A lull of silence, comfortable silence filled the room. Soaking in the quiet moment, the moment of simply being present with each other. Eventually shifting into idle chatter, making each other laugh with silly jokes, old stories, or random moments from their week.
“Oh, by the way, no more trenches. Especially not by yourself.” He proclaimed.
“Need I remind you, I’m the one that saved us today.”
“I’m serious Jewel. No trenches.” He commanded, “We’re lucky that thing didn’t follow us back to the kingdom while we escaped.” He shifted his body, laying on his side, his hand resting on his head. “Am I understood?” He looked at Jewel.
Unconsciously, she picked at her fingers, “Yes, my prince.” Her eyes not reaching his, truthfully, as scary as that endeavor was, she couldn’t stop thinking about the witch and all the contents hidden in their lair.
Her curiosity clouded her judgement. She was desperate to speak to the sea witch. She’ll find her way back to the cave, and she’ll make sure that Rafayel is none the wiser.
And while her thoughts get taken over by the witch, somewhere in the depths of the sea, in a hidden cave, one man’s mind is being consumed by Jewel.
a/n: sea witch sylus! how little mermaid of me LOL
i’m definitely getting ahead of myself with jewel’s myth, that’ll be a whole post soon (i hope). i’ll get back to the main story one of these days! if not then, look out for more side stories
whether you like, reblog, comment or lurk, thank you for taking the time to read my work :)
